Basement Laundry remodel - plumbing questions

I am planning to do a small remodel in my basement. I have a good handle on all aspects of it except for the correct way to do the waste drain in the plumbing. I other wise am a fairly capable" DIY weekend warrior". I have done framing carpentry, finish carpentry, drywall hanging, drywall finishing, painting, tile floors, hardwood floors, roofing siding, skylights, and electrical to name just a few (all with great success). I think I finally met my match with the plumbing, particularly the drains.

I have a laundry in my basement in an unfinished area. It adjoins the rest of the basement which is already finished. We currently just have water supply and waste drains for the washing machine. We plan on finishing this room and adding a laundry tub. We also want to add a wet bar on the other side of the laundry wall in the already finished portion of the basement. See the picture for the floor plan (sorry for the crude hand drawn picture).

My first question is about the fresh water lines in the laundry. They are copper and they run through the basement ceiling and then come done the concrete wall in the laundry. They are currently anchored directly to the concrete wall. I live in Iowa and it gets cold here. When framing that wall and adding insulation and drywall, should I move the copper pipe away from the wall and ensure that some insulation is between the pipe and the concrete wall? The laundry already has heating ducts run to it so it is heated.

I added a quick diagram here of the current laundry waste and vent pipes. I presume that this was done by a licensed plumber when the house was built in 2000 and the setup is correct and meets code (at least the code of that time). The diagram shows the current setup on the left, and my proposed setup on the right. I think I have accounted for all the traps and vents. Each fixture has a trap. Each trap has a vent. All the waste pipe will be 2", and all the vent pipe will be 1.5" (as it is current setup). The vents will all tie together and goto the roof through the existing vent for the laundry stand pipe. I will ensure that the vents all tie together at least 6" above the tallest flood plain of the laundry tub, laundry stand pipe, and wet bar.

I am basically trying to save myself some trips to the city building department. I want to make sure my plans are as correct as I can make them before going over to get the plans approved and getting the permit. Any advice you can give on this plan is much appreciated.

In reference to your proposed drawing you show the washing machine standpipe above the laundry tub/wet bar drain. In other posts on this forum, I believe Hackney Plumbing has said he does not do that for the following reason:

Thats what I call a major over a minor. The washing machine pumps alot of water fast. I dont install a major over a minor.

Attached Files:

In reference to your proposed drawing you show the washing machine standpipe above the laundry tub/wet bar drain. In other posts on this forum, I believe Hackney Plumbing has said he does not do that for the following reason:

Thats what I call a major over a minor. The washing machine pumps alot of water fast. I dont install a major over a minor.

Also what type of fitting are you planning on using at this junction?

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I planned on using a double fixture tee for that junction circled in red.

To avoid the "major over minor", are they any suggested configurations to avoid that?

I planned on using a double fixture tee for that junction circled in red.

To avoid the "major over minor", are they any suggested configurations to avoid that?

Click to expand...

Lower the washer stanpipe connetion below where you will put the fixture T. Don't know if you really have to change because of it...just noted that someone else on this site has mentioned he does not like plumbing a major over a minor.

It is not a question of "not liking a major over a minor", but that it cannot be done with any code that I am familiar with, but that argument goes out of the window as soon as each trap has its own vent. I have often installed a "minor" tub/shower connection under a toilet, which would be the ultimate major over a minor, as long as the trap has its own vent. What you show is okay, but you really only need 1 1/2" at the connection to the two sinks. Incidentally, I have never met, or heard of, a DIY who did NOT think his work was done "with great success", regardless of how a professional would rate it.

It is not a question of "not liking a major over a minor", but that it cannot be done with any code that I am familiar with, but that argument goes out of the window as soon as each trap has its own vent. .